The Black-Panther Effect

The grievance over lack of representation for the black community in different sectors of the world has always been a debate. And everything is about to change. We are living in an era where the black community is increasingly becoming empowered, taking strides in getting acknowledged, respected, accepted, and supported. The movement is growing confidently, demanding equal pay, responsibilities and equal opportunities. An effect little black boys and girls will reap the benefit of being represented, seeing dolls and superheroes that have their skin tone, hair texture and facial features.

Among other issues and discrimination that black people deal with on a day to day basis, the earliest moments of my life revolved around the lack of representation in the media as the standard of beauty wasn’t in my shade, hair texture and facial feature which still prevails in today’s society. But it’s improving nonetheless. However, it hasn’t erased the damages that have impaired self-esteem, as each movie and tv shows depict the darker shade with an African nostril as the angry black girl while the lighter shade was the love interest for the main character which further the propaganda of divide and conquer that has been in place since slavery. In movies that inject diversity revolves around slavery, drugs and violence or a dysfunctional family with the man absent in his children lives. An agenda to push the story that black people are the bottom of the barrel, undesired and pests to the world.

Black men are kings, beautiful and intelligent. Black women are queens, beautiful and multi-faceted.

Lack of diversity is prevalent in the blogging industry with opportunities given to black women that have proximity to the European standard of beauty and on posted on brands social media outlet. There’s a system used by brands to use a black person to express purpose of creating an image of commercially safe, politically correct racial harmony, the token black person. An attempt to avoid offending anybody. But inclusivity is penetrating the creative industry with films like Hidden Figures which centres around three black women working for NASA, the launch of Fenty Beauty that brought out forty foundation shade range and the most anticipated comic superhero movie, The Black Panther, proving that predominantly black-owned can sell-out without being placed under a negative lens.

It’s fantastic now to see how hard-working, incredible black people are getting recognition. There’s not as many as they should be but it’s great seeing the shift taking place, and it’s empowering and gives hope for the future. This topic inspired by The Black Panther, a movie that was released yesterday on the 13th of February, with a full cast of black people with different shades, hair texture, and facial feature. Watching the trailer made me realise that black people are extraordinary. The representation in this movie will create relatable, powerful role models and source of inspiration, bringing a fresh new idea to the table erasing the formulaic approach to create the spotlight for black people. It allows stereotypes and misconceptions to be broken and challenge beliefs in a positive, constructive way. Black men are kings, beautiful and intelligent. Black women are queens, beautiful and multi-faceted.